The Girl with the Cursed Fate
by Daimee
Summary: While Wander has been killed, Mono lives on. A chance to return home appears, but Wander has not left without a trace.


**Well, this is my very first Shadow of the Colossus fanfic. It's my all-time favorite game; there's just so much to love about it. I have been hesitant about writing a fanfic about it, but here is my attempt at a one-shot. Since thoughts about certain things vary: I have chosen the name "Wander" and Agro as a female. No particular reasons.  
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**English is not my native language. Constructive criticism and/or pointing out spelling mistakes is very much appreciated.  
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><p><strong>The Girl with the Cursed Fate<br>**

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><p>The first time Mono died, Wander had been there. Literally, because although he had been standing in the back, wachting her throat getting cut for her people's sake, he had not held her hand, nor had he whispered soothing words in her ear.<p>

Lord Emon had. "Sleep peacefully, my child," he muttered, while Mono stood in front of the altar. She was shivering all over her body, but tried to hide it as her parents were looking. She had to be strong; she had promised them.

"The gods will watch over you," Lord Emon continued.

If only I could think so easily about it, Mono thought. She felt tears running down her cheek, but she repressed the urge to run straight into her mother's arms, who was standing somewhere in the middle of the crowd, unable to be seen from here.

"Mono!"

Leave it, she thought, clenching her teeth. There's nothing you can do anymore. It's too late. This is my fate and moving on is yours.

"Mono!"

"I'm ready," she told the shaman, albeit her voice was trembling. "Please do it quickly." She sank down to her knee. Somewhere far behind her, as in another world, she could hear him, but she chose not to respond to it.

"You will be remembered by all," Lord Emon spoke, lifting the knife.

Remembered as what? Mono wondered. As a noble woman? As a tool, fitting to please the gods? As a plague, effectively cut away from doing harm? Even Lord Emon did not seem to know exactly why she had to sacrifice herself._ "For your people_…" yes, and she never doubted that her death would somehow protect the village of something, but still… knowing what she was doing it for would be nice, at least comforting.

That's why she had been so mad at him. Furious. She had never been mad at him before and now she was on the brink of hitting him.

"You have to tell me," she'd told him while sobbing in his shirt. "I need to know."

"Everyone knows," he said.

"Well yeah, except for me."

"Please," he said, trying to get her off his shoulder. As soon as their eyes met, she closed hers. Then she felt his finger on her cheek. "Ask anyone. Your parents know. Lord Emon knows. I know, too, but please don't make me say it."

She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear as she tried to analyse his expression. "Is it bad?"

He had not replied. Rather, he embraced her. She felt his warm tears running in her neck and gently stroked his back, while trying to figure out how in the world she would be able to ask her parents about it.

Lord Emon had finished his speech and Mono was pulled away from her thoughts. The time was near. Lord Emon pointed his gaze skyward. From the corner of her eyes she followed every movement of the shiny knife. Within seconds it would cut her flesh.

"Mono, I love you!"

The most beautiful words that had ever come out of his mouth ... and she had only a second to enjoy them before all went black.

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><p>Just as Wander had been there when she died, she had followed him down his own path of doom. Every stab he made, every time he carved the flesh of those ancient divine creatures, she felt her own skin crawl and made desperate attempts to reach him. He had been living in his own world and became more entangled by it with every creature he killed.<p>

"Please, stop!" she had begged him time on time again, but either he did not hear her or she did not exist after all. Perhaps Dormin had been cruel and returned her soul sooner than her consciousness. She had to endure the suffering the Colossi went through every time he stabbed his sword right into their hearts, causing a massive gulp of blood to spit out. Nothing in Mono's power enabled her to reach her friend.

The moment she had seen him practically being dragged by Death himself, she had quietly teared up. The sheer coldness with which Lord Emon had ordered Wander's death, made her scream again. "Emon," she wanted to yell, "you see well what is far away from you, but what's right in front of you, you're blind for!"

But just as Wander had never heard her, nor did Emon and his men and they left Wander to die, to be consumed by Dormin's spirit. She had closed her eyes when the final phase of his quest had started, but she could never ban Wander's desperate cries when he attempted to reach her for the final time before being grasped by Death.

Too late. It was all over.

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><p>And yet, somehow, Mono had succeeded to move on. After having witnessed so much suffering, she woke up as easily as if it had been just a little nap. Her surroundings were vague yet she recognized them as the Shrine of Worship she had come to know and hate. It was the place she had seen everything happen; the suffering of Wander and the Colossi, the awakening of Dormin and the return of Emon and his men.<p>

Hearing footsteps, she turned around with the modest beginning of a smile on her still pale face. "Wander?"

Even if he was still alive, she was not sure whether she wanted to see him. All this harm he had committed, was it worth it? She let her hands run over her own body. All this… was it really worth it?

Before she could decide whether to welcome him or not, a soft breathe caressed her face and she realized the creature was not human. She looked up and saw two loyal brown eyes, surrounded by a midnight black coat. Slowly she reached out to the horse's nose and stroked it.

One second she stood completely still in utter shock. She could not believe her eyes. Trembling she bent down and let her fingers run over the damaged hoof. The horse put down its head and rubbed its nose against Mono's hair. Mono pressed her face against the horse's chest.

"Agro," she whispered. The horse responded with a soft, painful whinny.

For a while neither Mono nor the black mare with the diamond on her nose moved. Then Mono wiped her face clean with her sleeve and examined the injured hoof more closely. In horror she saw it was bad. The horse must've had a terrible accident.

"You poor girl," she mumbled, on the brink of tears. "What has happened to you? What… what did he do to you?"

The flashes of Agro being forced to put more and more into Wander's doomed quest struck her and she burst out into tears. She cried in Agro's soft coat, sobbing at the pain that had been brought to any living creature in this forsaken place. This loyal horse, the horse she and Wander had practically raised together, had been hurt so much and for what? For one girl with a cursed fate.

Of course, Agro could not answer her burning question. The mare could do nothing else than standing there. Gently Mono stroked the animal's neck, while the silence went forth. But then it was shattered by a sound so familiar that Mono let go of the horse's neck and stumbled back in amazement. Agro too had clearly recognized the sound and whinnied. Footsteps came nearer; a person ran up the stairs, panting and accompanied by the clattering of a sword. Agro neighed. Mono brought her hands to her heart as she feared it would suddenly stop beating just by the sheer astonishment.

And then she came face to face with the young man; her jaw fell, as did the man's.

"Mono," he croaked. His long hair fell for his eyes, but she had recognized him. Of course she had. "How come... you're alive! By the gods, you're alive!"

Without a warning he stumbled forward and embraced her. The sudden pressure on her body was so intense that Mono struggled to get away from him.

"Mono, Mono..."

"You... how did you come here?" Mono whispered. "It's been so long."

"So long indeed." The man laughed. "I've spent years looking for you, didn't you know that? At first we thought Wander had killed himself. But Agro was gone too and we knew he would never have done anything to hurt her. And when we saw that your body was gone, Lord Emon feared he had gone to the Forbidden Lands to revive you and immediately left to stop him. Well, and then he returned, saying Wander had basically succeeded, but they had killed both him and Dormin in time to save us all."

Mono opened her mouth to say something, but her throat was stuck with tears and she averted her watery eyes. He however had noticed and looked at her questioningly.

"He is ... dead, isn't he?"

Mono tried to answer him, but all that came out was a sob. "H-how..."

"How what?" He gently stroked her cheek with his finger. "How did I find you? By sheer love, I tell you. Faith and love. I heard the bridge had collapsed, but I was determined to find another way in and I did."

She took a deep breath, swallowing all tears. "What happened to Wander?" she managed to produce. "I saw it ... I saw what they did to him... Please tell me that monster let him survive, just as he let me live again."

"Mono," he whispered and he took her hand. "Wander has used the forbidden spell to revive you. In the process he revived a monster. Lord Emon and his men killed Wander and the monster, then had to leave because the bridge was collapsing. Perhaps the monster had enough dignity to keep his end of the bargain, but he certainly would not let Wander survive."

Mono swallowed again, because new tears had formed. "Was this... my cursed fate?"

He stared at her. She could read in his eyes he did not want to discuss this. No, he just wanted to gain the life he was promised in his youth. He did not care Wander was out of the way. In fact, it was all the better for him. "I don't know," he said. "All that matters is that you live again. I knew there was a chance you would be alive again and you are! You're back."

"But it cost him his life. And look at Agro!" She nodded to the horse. Agro whinnied softly.

"Yes. This cursed fate... I don't know. Maybe this all was fated to happen. Nobody wanted to do this to you. You must understand that." He squeezed her hands, as if to comfort her. "Killing a young, innocent, beautiful, kind girl..." Mono bent her head, so that he would not see her cry again. "... it must've meant something terrible was to happen. We really believed that. All were so relieved to hear that you survived it."

"I did not survive," Mono whispered. Her voice was not strong enough to continue the interruption, but in her mind it did. _I was killed. Didn't you see my throat getting cut? I was dead, you hear me. Wander was the only one to care. Maybe this all was my cursed fate... Maybe Wander made this happen. But if that is true, Wander and I are not to blame. You killed me. You started it all. You are to blame for Wander's death..._

"Sweet Mono, you're confused." A faint smile appeared on the young man's face. "Let me take you back home, where you belong. Your parents miss you. You miss them... don't you?"

"Yes..." The word escaped her mouth so easily; she could not stop it.

Finally he let go of her hands. Now he put them around her cheeks, so she had to look at him. The face that was so well known to her, was staring her right in the eyes. "I've missed you so much," he said. "I never stopped hoping that you should come back one day."

Could Wander return one day? Mono tried to look over her shoulder to the pond where she had seen Wander disappearing in. To her surprise, Agro was limping in that direction. Without saying another word, she pulled herself away from the arms around her waist and followed the black mare. While struggling to stay up and protecting her eyes from the bright sunlight that was peeking from the ceiling, she heard a soft sound. A wailing filled the air.

Loud footsteps followed her. "Mono, where are you going? There's nothing there."

She did not respond; strangely the soft wailing seemed louder to her than his low voice. The wailing became clearer and finally Mono could see what it was. Pink, bald and skinny, a baby lay on the bottom of the pound at the very back of the shrine.

"Holy gods..." Apparently, she was not the only one to have seen the child. "Is that ... what is it?"

"It's a child," she mumbled.

"I can see that."

Mono stood there for a moment, hesitant to pick the baby up, for the baby truly looked alien. For one point, she had never seen a baby so small and pale. And she had never seen a baby with horns.

Agro gave Mono a little push from behind and carefully approached the baby. Then she lifted her head and whinnied at Mono, who nodded. "I see," she whispered and did a cautious step forward. The baby cried even louder and kicked with his scrawny legs in thin air. "And I know." She looked down on the baby. She probably would never receive the true explanation where this child came from, but she had her own theories.

As soon as she bent forward, she felt his tight grasp on her arm. "Don't touch him!" his voice cried. "Don't you see he's not from this world?"

"Am_ I_?" she replied and she laid her hand on the baby's ice cold skin. Ignoring the man's complaints that came from behind her, she picked the baby up. The little boy immediately stopped crying and instead struggled with his tiny arms and legs.

"Easy," she whispered, gently pressing the baby against her chest to comfort the little boy. "You're safe now."

Whether she was speaking the truth, she could not say. Nervously she looked at the rippling water. Was that thing, the enormous spirit, still hiding in there? Or had it skinned Wander's soul and left the tiniest bit behind, the thing Mono was now holding in her arms?

"Mono... What are you planning on doing with that ... thing?" The man's voice sounded worried.

"Say what you will, but I cannot leave him lying there," she whispered. For a few moments no one made a sound, as if this sentence was meant to sink away in silence. Mono's attention was drawn by Agro. The horse had begun the climb up the stairs. Mono looked up and saw it spiraling into the distance. Where would it be going? The men had left from there, so there must be an exit there for her, too.

Was it possible she could return to her people, even though they had let her die without any hesitation? Her gaze floated to the boy in her arms. What would they say if she returned with a child? The most horrible things, for sure…

"We should return." Again his voice had dared to interrupt this moment. "Mono..." A gentle touch stroked her long brown hair. "Your suffering has ended. Come home with me. Relive your life."

She decided to follow Agro up the stairs. Step by step the way became more tiring, but she kept looking forward. If an injured horse could climb these stairs, she could, too.

When she had climbed the last step, she was standing in full sunlight; the desert stretched all the way to the horizon and in the vast cliff beneath her, she saw the remains of the old bridge. Shuddering she took a step back. The bridge had collapsed… there was no way back. Or was there? Somehow he had gotten in this place... But when? How? Did she care? Did she want to go back to her village, where everybody agreed with both hers and Wander's death?

Uncertain about what to do now, she looked at the horse again. Agro did not seem to remember her hoof was injured; steadily she continued to follow the stairs even higher up the shrine. Mono had no other choice than to follow her lead.

What am I doing? she thought while slowly rocking the baby that had become restless again. This is a forgotten land. What is there to find for me? Wander has done no good. All that lived in these lands is now dead, except for me, this baby and a limping horse without a rider.

When she realized this, tears escaped from her eyes and dripped from her chin on her dress. Averting her gaze from Agro stubbornly climbing higher and higher, even though the mare seemed to suffer greatly from pain, she captured the sight of the Forbidden Lands far beneath her.

What is there to live for? she thought again. I could just as well drop myself from this ledge.

She did a few tiny steps closer to the edge. The wind was stronger here and pulled her back to the safety of the stone walls. Once again wailing reached her ears and she looked down to the wrinkled, teary-eyed face of this little human being. She plucked long strands of hair behind her ear. This is not him, she realized, and with a single finger she stroked the soft as air skin. This is an orphan that is dependant of me.

The baby, as if hearing and understanding her thoughts, opened his little eyes. They were a striking blue color and hit her deep in her soul. There was _life_ in this child. A soul, growing ever greater by every gulp of air that made the journey from this weak lungs back to the outside air.

"Mono?" She turned around, finally realizing she was smiling. He was smiling too, but very faintly. He was exhausted. "What are you doing? Come back with me... _please_." He sounded desperate. She could even see his eyes glistening.

Maybe he did love me after all, she thought. Maybe he has come here to save me. Apparently he's not so different from Wander after all.

But he's not Wander... And he doesn't care that Wander is no more. Nor does he care about this little form of life.

Slowly he stretched out his hand to her. "Mono...?" he said, with a loving smile.

"Go home," she said.

"Will you go with me?"

She shook her head, which made his smile disappear swiftly. "I'm dead to them already. Let it be that way."

"Mono, there's nothing left here! You will die..."

"Well, I'm quite experienced at that, am I not?"

"You're mad," he said, while tears were running down his face. "Utterly mad. Come with me. I know a way out. It's to the south. It'll be a long trip, but we will make it. My horse's just down there..." His hand fell limp as Mono shook her head.

"Go."

"But... why?"

She lifted her chin. "You once told me I was being killed for having a cursed fate. It turned out to be true."

"That's not _your_ fault." He moved closer to her, but she took a step back.

"You're right." She shrugged. "It's the village's. Return and tell them that."

One look. In that look she saw he was struggling, but then he turned around and disappeared into the Shrine. She thought she heard a sob. Slowly she rotated her body and far beneath her she saw him climb on his horse and gallop away to the south. For a few moments she stood there. Then she moved away from the edge and continued her way up. Agro's soft whinnies were audible from here and she could even hear splashing of water. She sped up. Soft green vines grew alongside her.

As soon as she entered this sanctuary on top of the Shrine of Worship, Mono knew she had been fortunate not to throw herself off the ledge. There was hope. She may be alone apart from a horse and an infant, but it was too much to give up now.

Feeling strangely happy and at peace, she hugged the little baby. "This land has been given to us, I guess," she told the child. "If there is still food and water in this forsaken place, then I may just as well call that a chance. Either way, I will be taking you with me. I don't know who you are and where you've come from, but I don't think it's my job to question that."

As if to seal those words, the boy closed his eyes again and let his head rest against her chest.


End file.
